


FFVII Rare Pair Week 2019

by WandererRiha



Series: Haunted House [7]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: F/M, Gen, Haunted House, ffvii rare pair week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-10-31 19:56:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17855969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WandererRiha/pseuds/WandererRiha
Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin.Short fic/drabbles mostly involving Sephiroth/Elfe.





	1. Long Distance

Just because there was no active conflict did not lessen the need for military personnel in various far-flung corners all over the world. Also, their celebrity meant that both Sephiroth and Elfe often found themselves on display, and several hundred miles apart. They somehow still found time to call each other every evening, after their obligations had been met. However, after commiserating over the daily nonsense each had to endure, it was sometimes difficult to come up with a new topic. This sometimes took as little as five or ten minutes, and it felt like far too soon to hang up.

Sephiroth pressed the phone to his ear, wishing he had something more to say. He’d already told Elfe he loved her and missed her at least three times. Although she’d probably enjoy hearing it again, Sephiroth wished he had something more to offer. Holding the phone and knowing she was on the other end of the line was almost like holding her hand and he wasn’t ready to let go. He cast about the room for inspiration. His eye fell on the paperback he’d scavenged from the reception room of the new SOLDIER office.

“How do you feel about pulp mysteries?” Sephiroth asked.

“What?” Elfe was clearly bewildered. “You mean like a book?”

“Yes.” Sephiroth pinned the phone between cheek and shoulder and fluffed the paper back’s worn pages. “I haven’t read this one yet, so I can’t speak to the quality, but I like the author.”

“You read paperback mysteries?”

“Yes.”

She giggled. “That’s adorable. Why do you ask?”

Sephiroth cleared his throat. “Chapter One. _‘It’s the little things that make a big difference; the subtle things. Things most people wouldn’t notice. What’s missing from the picture? What’s been added? No matter how observant, no one can concoct a lie that will perfectly mirror the truth. It’s in the little tells that the truth hides, if only you know where to look.’_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was inspired by some married friends of mine.
> 
> While they were dating, they were often required to spend long stretches of time apart. When they ran out of things to talk about, they'd read aloud to each other.
> 
> I thought that was adorable, so I kept it.


	2. Domestic Moments: Pet Sitting

“Daddy,” Elfe said, forcing calm into her voice. “What did you do?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Veld said airily. Elfe eyed him and crossed her arms over her chest, unimpressed.

“Nothing that got anyone killed or caused major property damage,” he added. Elfe’s scowl did not lessen.

“Why is Vincent blue and furry?”

“Look, we got the job done. I just need you to keep an eye on him until he calms down, okay?”

“What? No! I am not-- Vincent-sitting for you!”

“Honey, he’s part of the package. Sephiroth likes him, so you’re gonna have to learn to put up with him. Besides, I remember you begging for a puppy when you were little.”

“I was three!”

“And you were adorable. Thanks for helping out, sweetie, I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

“ _Daddy!_ ”

But Veld was already gone. Elfe let out a frustrated sigh. Galian came over and snuffed her hand, tail wagging hopefully.

“I am _not_ playing fetch with you,” Elfe grumbled.

\--

Sephiroth was nonplussed to see an 800lb King Behemoth gamboling around what passed for a yard with the boys.

“Do I want to know?”

“I doubt it,” Elfe told him, giving and receiving a welcome kiss. “Daddy wouldn’t tell me and that’s probably for the best.

“Well,” Sephiroth reasoned, “at least he’s housebroken.”

Although perfectly capable of standing upright, and speaking very passable Midgarian, Galian seemed content to play the role of pet. Perhaps he felt this would draw slightly less attention than he already was. Then again, the Crescent-Dragoon household was hardly a model of domestic normalcy.

Galian was really too big to comfortably fit inside their apartment, yet he somehow managed not to break anything. The boys wanted him to sleep in their already crowded room. Sephiroth vetoed this, as he didn’t want to give the poor kids nightmares. Vincent’s transformations were not for the faint of heart or stomach.

Sephiroth had though Galian might find a place to lie down and nap while he and Elfe spent some time together. However, no sooner had they sat down on the ugly old sofa, than Galian came to join them.

“You are _not_ a lap dog,” Sephiroth grunted, trying to shove Galian off his lap. Beneath them, the sofa legs snapped and they all dropped an abrupt three inches to the floor. Galian offered him a canine grin and slurped his face.

Despite herself, Elfe laughed. “We are so building you a doghouse.”


	3. Things: Relationship Disclosure Form

“The hell is this?” Elfe asked, eyeing the lengthy document. “Rufus, this thing must be six-hundred pages.”

“Well, most of that is boring, procedural stuff. Aside from a few minor tweaks, it’s a standard prenup.”

“A _what?_ ” The pages fell from her hands as she stared at him, aghast.

Sephiroth silently shared her outrage. For his part, he didn’t trust himself to speak just yet. He understood the logic of Rufus presenting them with such a document. It only made sense, or it would from someone in Rufus’ position. Taking a deep breath, Sephiroth dug deep for calm.

“Mr. President,” the title came out in the glacially formal tone more frequently reserved for recruits who had done something monumentally stupid. “I understand why you are presenting us with this...contract, but you may, perhaps, want to reconsider if such a thing is necessary.”

The effect Sephiroth’s tone had on Rufus was very similar to the fear of Alexander that it put into the cadets. The young president froze behind his desk, knowing he’d screwed up, but not knowing how.

“Err…” Rufus stalled, trying hard to get his brain in gear. “I take it this isn’t something you’re interested in?”

“I’ll kill him before I divorce him,” Elfe stated, utterly straight-faced. “About the only thing we’d possibly fight over would be the boys, and I personally find the idea of assigning custody of a child in a contract to be abhorrent.”

“That’s fair,” Rufus’ voice was very small. “I’ll um… I’ll take that into consideration.” He carefully gathered up the papers and shoved them back into a folder, never breaking eye-contact with the two generals on the other side of his desk. This had not been one of his better ideas.


	4. Events: Sickness

Mako and a Summon materia made for killer immunization. Sephiroth had not had any illness or infection since grade school. That did not, however, mean that he was perfectly healthy every minute of every day.

“Are they always this rough?” Elfe asked softly, stroking one hand over his bangs.

Sephiroth did not respond right away, just caught her hand and held it. Despite the dimness of the room, the pupils of his half-open eyes were slitted as tight as they could go.

“Not always,” he mumbled from behind the flu mask. “I waited too long between treatments, that’s all. They’re usually a kick in the teeth, but nothing worth calling in sick over.”

The only reason he was holed up in their room with all the blinds drawn was because it was a weekend. Sephiroth was not _required_ to be anywhere, though he probably would have gone out and done a lot of additional work that he hadn’t had a chance to finish. If he was abandoning a chance to accomplish something, he had to feel like death.

“Once the damn migraine passes I’ll be fine.”

“Maybe you should start soaking in a mako bath like the Tsviets,” she suggested. “Might be less of a shock than a hypodermic full of concentrate.”

“It might,” Sephiroth agreed. “I’ll book an afternoon at the mako spa next time.”

The flu mask didn’t fully manage to hide his his smile, and Elfe chuckled a little at that. “Anything I can do?”

Sephiroth sighed and closed his eyes, smoothing his thumb over the back of her hand. “Not right now. Give me a couple hours to sleep it off. Once I’ve had a chance to metabolize it, I’ll be okay. Fair warning, I get a little manic.”

“Manic? How?” They were both already Type-A over-achievers who didn’t understand the concept of relaxation. Elfe couldn’t help cringing internally at the idea of that dialed up to eleven.

“Just...too much energy. Normally I try and work it off in the gym or the simulator. Also, um…” he shifted, awkward, pink blossoming beneath the mask. “You um. You may want to keep your distance for a day or two. Or not. Up to you. I’ve never… I mean, I don’t know how rough… I… Yeah. I’m going to shut up now.”

She tilted her head, trying to work out what he-- _Oh._ Elfe blushed a little herself.

“Well if you need help hitting things in the gym or otherwise, I’m here.”

He squeezed her hand and smiled back. “Thanks.”


	5. Emotions: Crying

He’d never confess it, but Sephiroth had been listening to the doula as attentively as Elfe. Probably more so since he wasn’t otherwise engaged. Her hands gripped his hard enough to crush the fingers of anyone less than a SOLDIER. Sephiroth breathed in and out with her, tried to pour his strength into her as she tucked her chin and pushed. She dug in her heels, her back against his chest, squishing him between herself and the headboard. Sephiroth held on, willing himself to breathe as instructed. She needed him. He couldn’t go to pieces now.

“It’s a girl!”

A moment later the tiny yet vigorous squalling of a newborn rose above the ambient noise of the hospital room. Elfe exhaled and collapsed against him.

“Elfe?” he asked, panic shooting through him from tail to sternum. She took a moment to lay there and catch her breath, as well she might. She’d been at this for several hours. The doctors hovered and did things somewhere below the drape of the sheets over her knees. Sephiroth only paid them the most cursory of attention.

“Elfe?”

Turning, she offered him a weary yet radiant smile. “I’m fine.” She turned to the doctors. “Is she okay? Can I hold her?”

One of the nurses smiled broadly and brought over a little bundle that appeared to be mostly blanket with only a tiny red face peeking above the swaddling.

“She’s beautiful,” Elfe breathed. Sephiroth had to agree, or would have, had the words not caught in his suddenly constricted throat.

“Seph?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, carefully edging out from behind her and stumbling for the door.

“Sephiroth!”

The distress in her voice barely reached him. He made it to the hallway and collapsed against the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. Drawing his knees up, Sephiroth wrapped his arms around them, put his head down, and wept.

That was how Veld found him some time later.

“Gods, son, what happened?” Veld asked, dropping to his knees, terrified of the answer. “Is it Felicia? Is it the baby?”

Sephiroth lifted his head and took a shuddering breath. Despite his salt-streaked cheeks and reddened eyes, he was smiling.

“They’re fine. Elfe’s fine. The baby… Veld, I’m a dad! She’s a girl and I’m a dad and they’re fine--” his voice caught and he swallowed hard.

“Shit, kid,” Veld breathed, the words ending in a weak laugh. “C’mere.”

Veld gathered him close, rubbed his back with one hand. “You were scared you’d lose them.”

A nod. “I couldn’t… I had to… I didn’t want…”

“Yeah, I get it, but your wife and daughter are probably wondering what happened to you.”

Sephiroth started bolt upright in his arms. “Oh gods. She’s probably furious.”

“Probably,” Veld agreed, fishing out a bandanna and offering it to his son-in-law. Tears were weakness to too many people, and it only made sense that Sephiroth had chosen to break down in the relative privacy of the corridor than the crowded delivery room. “Here.”

“Thank you.” Sephiroth mopped his face and handed it back.

“Now, let’s go meet my new granddaughter.”

Sephiroth swallowed and nodded, a last tear escaping. “Yeah.”


	6. Combo Day (mix and match) - Fond Farewell/Whumpf

Vincent’s passing should have been her first warning. His surrogate father had- as her own departed father had once said- simply faded away. One day he was there, and the next… All they’d found was the Chaos materia, cold and dark.

Sephiroth had not faded away. Ever a General, he had made a decision and stuck to it. They both had. Neither of them wanted to live forever. There would come a time when their materia would have to be passed to new bearers. He hadn’t pulled it out, it had simply...come loose. Like a baby tooth it had fallen from his body, to be juggled in his hands in surprise. Their first instinct had been to try to put it back, but without success.

“Guess that’s it,” had been his infuriatingly calm remark. Elfe had viciously shoved her rage, her grief aside. He was still here, for however long he had. She would mourn him when he was gone and not before.

However long turned out to be almost exactly one year. A year without wings, a year for his age to catch up to him, to learn what it was to be a mere mortal. It was a shock, a blessing, but behind it all was the sickening sensation of time ticking, ticking, ticking away, never to be gotten back. Sephiroth laughed and made horrible jokes about old SOLDIERs and Elfe laughed so she wouldn’t cry.

“I love you,” he’d said before they went to sleep, and kissed her. She had lain down in his arms, kissed him back.

“Love you too.”

She would always be grateful that those had been the last words in his ears.

When she awoke, he was there and not there. He lay beside her, still warm, but unbreathing. Beneath her ear, his heart was silent. Shock shivered through her, followed closely by sorrow.

_No No No No_

No.

She could never say how she did it, but the Zirconiade materia went from being _in_ her hand, to simply resting in her palm. Reaching over her husband, she set it in the jewelry box, next to the Holy materia. They never did get around to finding a bearer for it. Elfe supposed now it didn’t matter.

Lying down again, she kissed his forehead, his cheeks, his lips, and held on tight. When the pyreflies came to carry him away, they would have to carry her too.


	7. Free Day - Parenting

There must be some unspoken rule of the cosmos that for every good thing, something bad must happen to balance it out. A philosopher might have pointed out that he’d gotten in backwards, but it sure felt that way to Sephiroth. The house was silent; the boys not yet home from school and Elfe probably napping. What with the baby- for whom they still hadn’t figured out a name- getting up three or four times a night, she needed all the rest she could get.

Veld had been putting in extra hours, making meals and picking up the slack with the boys. He’d been puttering about in the kitchen. He looked up, surprised to see Sephiroth home so early. Sephiroth held up a hand to forestall any questions and walked right past him without making eye-contact. Going straight to the nursery, he lifted his sleeping daughter in his arms and held her close.

Veld had followed him and stood nonplussed in the doorway.

“S’my baby,” Sephiroth muttered defensively into the colorful afghan- it had been his what felt like a hundred years ago.

Veld chuckled. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Seph?” Elfe, sleep-rumpled and only half-awake, elbowed past her father. “I got your text. I’m so sorry…”

Sephiroth shifted his daughter to one arm so he could hug his wife with the other.

“My grandmother died,” he said in quiet answer to Veld’s silent question. “She was ninety-seven. I got to meet her. She got to see her great-granddaughter.”

“Who still doesn’t have a name,” Elfe teased.

“About that…” Sephiroth trailed off, uncertain.

“What?”

“If...if you’re okay with it...I’d like to call her ‘Josie’.”

“Josie,” Elfe repeated. “Josie Ifalna Crescent. I like it.”

Sephiroth hugged her close. “Good.”


End file.
